Well, I got the call about the next diagmostoic PET Scan and it is scheduled for this Thursday, July 31st at 1:30pm. The Radiologist went over the list of do's and don'ts the night before and of course the biggest don't is NO CAFFEINE 24 hours before the test, but I can drink all the unflavored Water that I want, yum yum....LOL. I see the Chemo Oncologist on Aug 5th at 4:15 to see if he wants to continue with the Chemo or change course again and go a different direction.
The course change is what I'm hoping for, since I have grown tired of the Chemo, I know it's only been like a month of treatments, for once a week; but I'm tired of getting poked with the needle and having to sit for 2.5 hours while the Chemo Drugs drip through my port. :(
I will go through separation anxiety again, when I have to stop and I will enjoy hearing the words that I don't have to come back again for more treatments. I also see the Radiology Oncologist in August and I'm waiting to see what they have to say about the recent treatments and how I'm doing.
I am also starting to get excited about going to see Carmen's Family and meeting some of her Dad's Sisters and getting to know them a little better. Carmen's Brother Sam and his Fiance' will be there also and it will be great to see them again, after 2 years. I know Carmen is really getting pumped up to drive up and meet some friends in Milwaukee, then driving onto NW Wisconsin. I will enjoy the drive out from Milwaukee to the Humbird/Fairchild, Wi Area. I think initially that we will meet up with Carmen's parents in Farichild and drive from there to the Camp Ground, that her Cousin runs. The driving schedule is leave in the afternoon on August 20th, drive to Milwaukee, spend the night and leave from there on August 21st with Noah in tow and go to the Olson Family Reunion 2008 Edition. The official Reunion is on Saturday August 23rd. We will return to Toledo on August 24th and I will resume my regular work schedule on Monday August 25th.
27 July 2008
25 July 2008
Blog Direction and Lunch with Firends
Well, I'm still trying to figure out what direction to go with this whole blog thing. I've started blogs on other sites and I've gotten tired of the sites policies changing or just the way the site was setup and lack of control.
Carmen, my Fiance', has her blog here also and at another site which has made national headlines over the last year or so. She decided to get a way from the other site, because of the BS of the site and How it is nothing more then a High School Popularity Contest and the endless survey's about your love life, your sexual preferences, etc.... After a while, it gets boring and nerve wrenching to have the crap surveys coming through. HELLO!!! Don't people have a life that is more interesting then one endless survey? I guess not.
Trying to arrange lunch with a friend who is taking a half day off work is getting to be a pain in the asrse also, he cannot commit to where to meet him and I get an IM from him saying for me to meet him at his house at 12:45 and if he is late forgive him. It seems he has plans with his Wife to go to an afternoon movie and is trying to sandwich the lunch in between, so Carmen and I made the decision to go to Olive Garden and I just IM's him this and if he isn't there then too bad. Carmen and I will enjoy ourselves and the Soup and Salad Lunch will be fantastic as usual.
Carmen, my Fiance', has her blog here also and at another site which has made national headlines over the last year or so. She decided to get a way from the other site, because of the BS of the site and How it is nothing more then a High School Popularity Contest and the endless survey's about your love life, your sexual preferences, etc.... After a while, it gets boring and nerve wrenching to have the crap surveys coming through. HELLO!!! Don't people have a life that is more interesting then one endless survey? I guess not.
Trying to arrange lunch with a friend who is taking a half day off work is getting to be a pain in the asrse also, he cannot commit to where to meet him and I get an IM from him saying for me to meet him at his house at 12:45 and if he is late forgive him. It seems he has plans with his Wife to go to an afternoon movie and is trying to sandwich the lunch in between, so Carmen and I made the decision to go to Olive Garden and I just IM's him this and if he isn't there then too bad. Carmen and I will enjoy ourselves and the Soup and Salad Lunch will be fantastic as usual.
22 July 2008
Being A Cancer Survivor or Waiting for the Last Shoe to Drop
The craziness started back in May 2007 when after suffering from what I thought was constipation and hemorrhoid's for a few months, turned out to be a Rectal Tumor, I was being treated by my family doctor who thought I was suffering from the side-effects of Blood Pressure meds, and I was following his advise and eating high fiber diet and even at one point was taking over the counter Fiber, you know the one that the tablets are about the size of Quarter and if they wasn't chewable would be a pain to shallow, ugh!!!!!
Any how, I went to Family Doctor told him that the Fiber Diet just wasn't working and told him that I wanted to see a Gastrointernalogist for the Colonoscopy, which was performed on May 24th, I was already taking Iron Capsules by this time, since the Gastrointestinal said that I looked a little anemic. On May 29th I get the frantic call from the Gastrointernalogist who reported that it looked like I had cancer of an "Abnormality" that he found in my Rectum. So, he scheduled the appoint with the Surgeon.
On Thursday 24 May, I had a CT Scan of my lower Pelvis and on Friday, 25 May, the Surgeon confirmed that I had Cancer of the Rectum and that the Tumor is approx 2 inches in diameter and was ulcerated in the center. The Bad news has not really set in yet, since I've been trying to keep myself busy. I have an appointment with the Radiologists on 1 June 2007, to start a 6 week course of radiation to shrink the Tumor. The Surgeon advised that as of Friday, if he was to remove the Tumor that he wouldn't have any tissue left to try and rebuild with, and he hopes the Radiation will shrink the tumor enough, since it's between a Class 2 and Class 3. The Surgeon said that hopefully the Tumor will shrink enough to a Class 2, and give him between 1 inch to 4 inches of tissue to rebuild with, otherwise I will be faced with a colostomy, but I'll have Life to live out.
Carmen has been a great support of me and I know that she'll be there for me in the future also. I have told my family and they seem to be supportive of me and have said that they'd help me out if I needed.
In June 1st 2007 I saw the Oncology-Radiologist, who was really great and sat down and made suer that I understood what was going to happen and the treatment schedule and that it was going to be 6 weeks and the possible side-effects. The next week I was scheduled to see the Oncology-Chemotherapist, which was good. When I saw him and he examined me, he informs me that he can shrink the tumor and he wanted to postpone the Radiation Treatments, so he quickly exits the exam room, calls the Radialogist and comes back in and informs me that he has setup an agreement between the two of them that Chemotherapy would be done first then I would have Surgery and Post-operative treatments accordingly.
All the while I was bouncing around with the doctor appointments and working, I felt like I had become a machine that was just performing the job. My life was starting to get really errrrrriiiieeeee, getting up in the morning, going to work for 10 hours, coming home, trying not to over think the happenings, keep up a normal life (whatever that was had been changed at this point) I would start my day off at 4:30a, be to work between 5:30a and 5:45a, logged into the phone by 6a and working until 4:30p for four days, then getting 3 days off was also filled with more doctor appointments or just trying to relax and not get stressed out over the diagnosis of Cancer.
Eventually the Port was installed underneath my right pectorial region and I had to get use to the lump there and having it there. Pre-operative Chemotherapy was being performed on Wednesday. I would go into the Chemotherapists office for 4 hours, then come home with a pump attached to me for 48 hours of 5Fu to pumped through my body and I had to get use to sleeping with the pump and carrying it around with me and not pulling the needle out of my chest when getting up quickly. Yes, I came close a couple of times and was sharply reminded one time when I got the IV Tubing caught on the end of the bed post and was quickly walking out of the bed room. After double checking that I had not yanked the needle out and the pump and tubing was still hooked up, I walked out of the bed room and reminded myself not to let that happen again, since my chest was now throbbing.
The Chemotherapy started in late September, yes I know sounds like the Rod Stewart Song lryics, and by the first week in October I was officially off on Disability. This meant 60% of my pay would be deposited into my bank account weekly and I did not have to worry about getting up for work any more. Arrangements had already been made for me to work from 8a until 6:30p, then I was taken off on disability and didn't have to worry about getting up in the morning.
Any how, I went to Family Doctor told him that the Fiber Diet just wasn't working and told him that I wanted to see a Gastrointernalogist for the Colonoscopy, which was performed on May 24th, I was already taking Iron Capsules by this time, since the Gastrointestinal said that I looked a little anemic. On May 29th I get the frantic call from the Gastrointernalogist who reported that it looked like I had cancer of an "Abnormality" that he found in my Rectum. So, he scheduled the appoint with the Surgeon.
On Thursday 24 May, I had a CT Scan of my lower Pelvis and on Friday, 25 May, the Surgeon confirmed that I had Cancer of the Rectum and that the Tumor is approx 2 inches in diameter and was ulcerated in the center. The Bad news has not really set in yet, since I've been trying to keep myself busy. I have an appointment with the Radiologists on 1 June 2007, to start a 6 week course of radiation to shrink the Tumor. The Surgeon advised that as of Friday, if he was to remove the Tumor that he wouldn't have any tissue left to try and rebuild with, and he hopes the Radiation will shrink the tumor enough, since it's between a Class 2 and Class 3. The Surgeon said that hopefully the Tumor will shrink enough to a Class 2, and give him between 1 inch to 4 inches of tissue to rebuild with, otherwise I will be faced with a colostomy, but I'll have Life to live out.
Carmen has been a great support of me and I know that she'll be there for me in the future also. I have told my family and they seem to be supportive of me and have said that they'd help me out if I needed.
In June 1st 2007 I saw the Oncology-Radiologist, who was really great and sat down and made suer that I understood what was going to happen and the treatment schedule and that it was going to be 6 weeks and the possible side-effects. The next week I was scheduled to see the Oncology-Chemotherapist, which was good. When I saw him and he examined me, he informs me that he can shrink the tumor and he wanted to postpone the Radiation Treatments, so he quickly exits the exam room, calls the Radialogist and comes back in and informs me that he has setup an agreement between the two of them that Chemotherapy would be done first then I would have Surgery and Post-operative treatments accordingly.
All the while I was bouncing around with the doctor appointments and working, I felt like I had become a machine that was just performing the job. My life was starting to get really errrrrriiiieeeee, getting up in the morning, going to work for 10 hours, coming home, trying not to over think the happenings, keep up a normal life (whatever that was had been changed at this point) I would start my day off at 4:30a, be to work between 5:30a and 5:45a, logged into the phone by 6a and working until 4:30p for four days, then getting 3 days off was also filled with more doctor appointments or just trying to relax and not get stressed out over the diagnosis of Cancer.
Eventually the Port was installed underneath my right pectorial region and I had to get use to the lump there and having it there. Pre-operative Chemotherapy was being performed on Wednesday. I would go into the Chemotherapists office for 4 hours, then come home with a pump attached to me for 48 hours of 5Fu to pumped through my body and I had to get use to sleeping with the pump and carrying it around with me and not pulling the needle out of my chest when getting up quickly. Yes, I came close a couple of times and was sharply reminded one time when I got the IV Tubing caught on the end of the bed post and was quickly walking out of the bed room. After double checking that I had not yanked the needle out and the pump and tubing was still hooked up, I walked out of the bed room and reminded myself not to let that happen again, since my chest was now throbbing.
The Chemotherapy started in late September, yes I know sounds like the Rod Stewart Song lryics, and by the first week in October I was officially off on Disability. This meant 60% of my pay would be deposited into my bank account weekly and I did not have to worry about getting up for work any more. Arrangements had already been made for me to work from 8a until 6:30p, then I was taken off on disability and didn't have to worry about getting up in the morning.
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